Pansies: when to sow pansies for seedlings, planting in the ground, care

Viola tricolor is better known as pansy or Ivan-da-Marya. The plant is herbaceous, biennial or annual. Sometimes it occurs in perennial form. Currently, many varieties and hybrid forms have been bred, which are very popular in the design of flower beds and gardens. There are both spectacular large-flowered forms and low-growing groundcover varieties.

Many gardeners purchase ready-made pansy seedlings in the spring and grow them in annual form. Next summer you need to invest in seedlings again. Let's try to figure out how difficult it is to grow tricolor viola and when to sow pansies for seedlings.

Content:

• Timing of sowing seeds for seedlings, preparation of seed material and soil
• Sowing seeds and first care
• Growing in open ground

Timing of sowing seeds for seedlings, preparation of seed material and soil

Sowing time

To produce plants that will bloom in the spring and last all summer, pansies need to be grown from seedlings in most temperate regions. The timing of sowing depends on several reasons, one of them is the purpose growing pansies.

If seedlings are needed for sale, then it is better to sow in January and even at the end of December, then by the spring season you can sell seedlings that have not only formed buds, but also begun to bloom.However, in this case it will be necessary to provide additional light to the seedlings for several hours a day. If you need flowers for planting in your own garden, then you can start sowing in the third decade of February and continue until the end of March. You can calculate the optimal time for sowing seeds based on climatic conditions.

The reference point for reference will be the date of late spring frosts. If, for example, they fell on May 20 last spring, then you need to subtract 90 days from this date and get the planting date of February 20. This number should be used as a guideline when sowing viola tricolor seeds for seedlings. When sowing on these dates, additional light is no longer required for seedlings. It is important to know that to grow in a two-year form, pansy seeds are sown in the summer, in July, immediately in open ground.

Preparing seeds for sowing

Pansy seeds do not need any special preparation before planting. It is important to purchase varietal seeds from trusted garden centers or stores. For several hours before sowing, it is enough to soak them in a solution of citron or another stimulant.

Soil preparation

If a modest amount of seeds is intended for cultivation, then they can be sown in wet peat tablets or in ready-made priming for violets. If there are a lot of seeds, then purchasing tablets and soil will require significant amounts.

Video about proper care and propagation of viola (pansy):

In this case, it is better to prepare leaf soil and rotted compost in the fall. Mix these ingredients in equal proportions and fill the planting pots or boxes a day before sowing and moisten the soil well. The next day after this you can sow viola.

Sowing seeds and first care

Sowing methods:

1. The easiest way is to spread the seeds on top of the soil and place them in a dark place at a temperature of +20 +22. Cover the plantings with film and remove it every day for 10 minutes.
2. You can sow viola by embedding it in the ground. With this method, the seeds are placed in grooves about 0.5 cm deep. The distance between the grooves is 1.0-2.0 cm. The same gap is between the seeds. There is no need for a dark place here. Crops are also covered with film with mandatory ventilation.

If sowing produced with high-quality seeds that have not expired, then after 1-2 weeks the seedlings will sprout. Sometimes, depending on the variety or the quality of the seeds, germination can take 3-4 weeks.

First care

Boxes with green shoots are placed on a lighted window. South-west or south-east windows are best suited for this. In the first seven days, seedlings are accustomed to indoor air and lighting. To do this, the period of open stay is extended every day. Starting from 10 minutes, by 7-8 days it is increased to 5-6 hours. After which the film is removed completely. Viola seedlings are quite strong, but they do not tolerate drying out of the soil.

But this does not mean that the plants need to be filled with water. Watering is carried out when the top layer dries. If the seedlings are planted frequently, then when 2-3 true leaves appear, they are planted in separate containers.

If the distance is 2 cm or more, cultivation can be carried out in a common container. When picking young plants, you can bury the seedlings down to the cotyledon leaves. This will prevent the stem from falling over and being damaged. As soon as the young violets have six leaves, pinch out the central stem. This will help the pansies form a lush bush. Before disembarkationhardening in the ground in the open air.

Growing in open ground

Lighting and soil

Pansies can grow both in a fairly shady place and in the sun. The viola will feel best where the sun will illuminate the flowers only part of the day. In direct sun, pansies may stop blooming prematurely. They will bloom by mid-summer.

In addition, a site is needed with good fertile soil, especially for varietal and hybrid plants. The poorer the soil, the worse the varietal qualities appear, the flowers turn pale and smaller. When transplanting into the ground, there should be at least 10 cm between plants. Further care depends on watering and fertilizing.

Watering and fertilizing

Viola is very responsive to watering. In hot summers, it can be watered daily with a moderate amount of water. Immediately after watering, the ground around the bush is mulched. When watering, you need to focus on drying the top layer. If it is wet, then the plant should not be watered, otherwise an excess of water will lead to rotting of the root system.

To keep the flowers bright, pansies need to be fed regularly immediately after rooting. This will happen approximately two weeks after disembarkation. You can apply fertilizers simultaneously with watering. Any complex fertilizer is suitable for these purposes, for example, Kemira.

To prolong the flowering of pansies, you need to try to regularly pinch off flowers that have already faded. If the gardener fulfills the simple requirements to the best of his ability, then a bright viola carpet will delight the eye until frost.